republic wireless has been mentioned in any number of threads, but a search didn't reveal its own thread...if i missed it, let me know and this can be locked

i just confirmed i was still interested and got this:

Quote :

"You are confirmed! Be on the lookout in the next week for your Beta Wave assignment. We will then alert you again when your wave opens up. At that time you will be able to purchase a membership to republic wireless. Check the Beta Waves page for ongoing updates."

no idea how much time there will be between the beta wave assignment and the actual point at which i can actually buy a phone and give it a shot...and i'm not sure if i'll actually do it, either

i can't imagine that's representative of their schedule moving forward (especially since wave E should have opened up 8/26), but i imagine there won't be more than a month (on average) between waves, so i should be able to get in on this by spring of next year

I suspect the waves are going faster since people are waiting for the dual band phone and not wanting the single band phone. Also in the N&O they said they plan on opening it up to the public for the holiday season.

"I suspect the waves are going faster since people are waiting for the dual band phone and not wanting the single band phone. Also in the N&O they said they plan on opening it up to the public for the holiday season."

"Republic Wireless is pretty candid that it's still learning the ropes of the mobile world, but with its monthly service cost of $19 per month, we know more than a few people who'd like to help test the water. Most recently, the company admitted an error with its deployment of a single-band Motorola Defy XT, which is compatible only with Sprint's 1,900MHz network. While this is fine for many -- especially given that subscribers are primarily expected to use WiFi -- it's presented a more tangible challenge for those who live within or travel to areas that rely on 800MHz service. Don't be alarmed, however, because the company is going to make it right.

From today, Republic Wireless subscribers in waves B through E will have 30 days to evaluate their service, and if it's unacceptable, may seek a full refund from the provider. Those who are willing to wait it out, however, will receive a free dual-band Defy XT when it becomes available. Similarly, the company is incentivizing the upgrade for those in wave A with a $100 discount. Meanwhile, it will continue to offer the single-band Defy XT to those in waves F and beyond, but alternatively, it'll also keep the door open for its invitees to come aboard once the dual-band version is available -- it certainly seems wise to hold out for the dual-band version if you're able."

i wonder when it's going to become available...i would definitely rather wait and if they are, indeed, opening to the public before christmas, there's no reason for me to hand off my invite (since i'm still under contract with verizon)

From my understanding, there are no caps for any usage. If you do 'abuse' non-Wifi, you may be warned and eventually booted. This was their stance a few months ago. It may have changed recently since they have said in the N&O that there are small percentage of users that they lose money on, but that the vast majority of users are profitable.

i've got a wave M invite, but I think I'm gonna do straighttalk instead. if i could bring my own phone, this would be awesome, but my wife and i are too spoiled to settle for a mediocre device at this point :\

it seems to be a fine entry-level phone, and i would probably recommend it to my mother-in-law or something. but like i said, i'm a spoiled nerd and will not lose too much sleep paying more to be able to use a top of the line smartphone

In a world where for $249 you can get an ICS (or Jelly Bean) phone with dual core CPU, 2gb of ram with 8-16gb of onboard flash, with a vanilla (or at least rootable/removable UI layer) it's not exactly a top of the line Android handset.

That said, for the price and the service, it's not a super huge issue for me either. I'm probably going to give my beta phone to one of my parents too.

my thunderbolt is only a single core snapdragon, though it has 768 of RAM and 8GB of storage

i don't love by bolt by any stretch of the imagination, but that's as much because it's a prototype phone that's buggy as hell and has crap support from HTC and verizon (though an active dev community makes that less of an issue)

while a dual-core CPU would be nice, i never curse my phone for being slow (though it's overclocked to 1.4Ghz)...the memory DOES seem low, but i'm not worried about the internal storage (though it's annoying how small that is)

i think i can get past all of that for the price, though...i'm still one of those people who uses their phone as a PHONE first and foremost

[Edited on October 19, 2012 at 7:52 PM. Reason : google suggests there's several AOSP ICS ROMs available for the defy XT, so there's that]

"This is your second chance to join republic wireless, the nation's first Wi-Fi mobile network, and the thousands already enjoying $19 per month for unlimited talk, text and data with no overages, no contracts, no hidden charges. Ever.

Beginning today, we’re offering a special pre-order opportunity to reserve a dual-band Motorola DEFY XT smartphone, no invitation or wave needed. Each dual-band DEFY XT phone features our Hybrid Calling technology which uses Wi-Fi where it's available and cell where it’s not. It’s a smarter smartphone, designed to offer you tremendous savings. "

got an email today that they were now shipping the dual-band XT to all non-trade-in folks, so there's that

except for the money part, and being stuck with the brick that is a thunderbolt, i'm kinda glad that being in a verizon contract has kept me from doing this...another 5 or 6 months might (though probably won't) give us a new phone, but it'll give them plenty of time to work out any kinks and upgrade software as the multitude starts using the network